School safety committee seeks sales tax or other funding measures

BY LISA ROGERSTimes Staff Writer

Published: Friday, February 8, 2013 at 10:19 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, February 8, 2013 at 4:51 p.m.

The School Safety and Security Committee of Etowah County voted Friday to ask the Etowah County Commission to assess a 1 percent sales tax, or call for a referendum to let the people vote for a property tax increase or other funding measures to pay for school security.

The school security would include costs for School Resource Officers, security and training for administrators and teachers, door locks, cameras, fencing and renovations that would make the schools safer.

It would be up to the Etowah County Commission to decide how the funds would be distributed, but the committee has suggested it be divided between the Etowah County, Gadsden City and Attalla City systems, as well as private schools.

The committee, formed by Rep. Craig Ford, D-Gadsden, has about 40 representatives including superintendents, educators, teachers, law enforcement officers and various members of the community.

Its members voted unanimously Friday to present the resolution to the Etowah County Commission.

“We’re just showing the County Commission we support this and we will (help) them with their efforts,” committee Chairman Ralph Burke said.

J. Holland, secretary of the committee, said members should lobby county commissioners and the community for support of the sales tax or other avenues of funding.

The committee supports having the tax end in six years, using 50 percent for current expenses and placing the remaining 50 percent in escrow, with only the interest to be used for continuing maintenance and policies and procedures initiated by the tax.

It remains to be determined how much money a tax would generate and whether it would be sufficient to cover all the costs, Ed Miller, superintendent of Gadsden City Schools, said.

Alan Cosby, superintendent of Etowah County Schools, agreed. “We need a definitive answer about what can be done,” he said.

Several members said it is important for the County Commission to see solidarity from the committee.

“We want to show we are coming together to say how important this is,” Charlotte Campbell said.

Committee member Kathryn Barrett said there might not be enough funds for all the needs.

“We will have to determine priorities,” she said.

Burke said he does not have children in school anywhere in the state, but he supports some sort of revenue increase to improve security in the schools.

“From my perspective, we have to look at it from the point of the greater good,” Burke said. “We’re protecting our future.”

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